Rūdolfs Blaumanis Remembered on EUROPA Silver Star Coin

The Bank of Latvia have issued a new collector coin which is part of the EUROPA silver star collector coin initiative highlighting various European achievements in literature, artistry, exploration and landmarks. This year’s chosen theme is literature and Latvia’s inclusion and contribution to the project is that of Rūdolfs Blaumanis (1863–1908) known to many Latvians for his satirical and vivid characters drawn from rural life.

Blaumanis’s most important contribution to Latvian literature is his serious work in fiction and drama. Much of his work draws its power from the masterful depiction of entangled relationships and contradictions among people and their often tragic resolution. The portrayal of the Latvian national character in Blaumanis’s literary works bears comparison with his Swedish contemporaries Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson who in their art gave a concentrated visual definition of a typical Swede, his or her lifestyle, principles and worldview. This national character is not fixed historically and many of the themes and problems related to it can be found in Latvian contemporary life as well.

The coin, struck by the Regia Autonomǎ Monetǎria Statului – National Mint of Romania, is designed by Aigars Ozoliņš. The obverse features a stylized half-portrait of Rūdolfs Blaumanis with a background of the titles of the writer’s many works along with the Silver Star logo of the “EUROPA Programme”. The inscription “Rūdolfs Blaumanis” is placed in the left lower part of the reverse, with the year 2013 below the portrait. The reverse design includes a homestead surrounded by trees, nestling on a tree leaf, and is placed in the center. The inscriptions LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA, arranged in a semicircle, and 1 LATS are placed above and beneath the primary design.

For more information on this and other coins offered by the Bank of Latvia, please visit their website at:  http://www.bank.lv/en/money/collector-coins-of-the-bank-of-latvia Information is offered in English.

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